Charleston Southern announces 2014 football schedule

2014-01-13T19:35:35Z2014-05-10T18:33:00Z

CHARLESTON, SC -

The
Charleston Southern Buccaneers will host four consecutive night games to open
the season and make road trips to face two Southeastern Conference teams as
part of their 2014 football schedule, CSU announced on Monday.

The Bucs
will debut the new lights and host the program's first night game at Buccaneer
Field against Point University (Ga.) to open the season on Thursday night, Aug.
28.

"This is
an exciting time in our program's history," CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell said
Monday. "Lights are a big addition to our facility and will enhance the overall
game experience."

CSU
opens the season with four-straight home games, but closes the year with 6-of-8
games on the road, including road trips to Vanderbilt (Oct. 11) and Georgia
(Nov. 22).

"It is
going to be important to us to get off to a great start because of the six road
games (out of eight) to end the season," Chadwell added. "We also face a pair
of SEC programs coming off of bowl games, which gives us the opportunity to
enhance the CSU brand against some of the best in college football."

Vanderbilt
and Georgia will be the third and fourth different SEC programs the Buccaneers
have faced. CSU squared off against Tim Tebow's Florida Gators in The Swamp in
2009 and played at Kentucky in 2010.

Following
CSU's season opener with Point (Ga.) is a visit from in-state opponent Newberry
on Sept. 6. Newberry reached the NCAA Division II Playoffs last season. A
first-ever visit from Campbell to Buccaneer Field is the third game of the home
stand on Sept. 13. The Buccaneers beat the Camels last season, 30-10.

CSU
wraps up the stretch of four home games by hosting crosstown-rival The Citadel
for the first time in program history. The two teams will play a home-and-home
series in 2014 and 2015. The Buccaneers rallied to beat The Citadel in their
2013 season opener, jumpstarting CSU's record-setting 10-3 season.

"I
think it's a sign of where our program is headed that we are able to attract
quality opponents to come play (at CSU)," Chadwell added. "We're
excited to have The Citadel come play here and hopefully that game will be the
first of many big additions to our future home schedules."

The
Buccaneers make road trips to Charlotte (Sept. 27) and Vanderbilt (Oct. 11),
wrapped around their lone open date, before opening Big South Conference play
in late October. CSU beat the 49ers, 36-14, last season in the first-ever
meeting between the two schools. Vanderbilt was 9-4 in 2013 and won the BBVA
Compass Bowl.

CSU
opens Big South play with a Homecoming date against Presbyterian on Oct. 18.
The Bucs have won the last two meetings with the Blue Hose including a 27-16
road win in Chadwell's first season.

CSU
makes the short trip to Conway, S.C. to face Coastal Carolina on Oct. 25 in
their Big South road opener. The Bucs beat then-No. 3 Coastal Carolina last
November, 31-26.

The Bucs
will travel to West Long Branch, N.J. on Nov. 1 to face new Big South associate
member Monmouth University, which makes its Big South debut in 2014. It will be
the first meeting between the two programs.

CSU's
final home game of 2014 comes against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 8. The Bucs close
out their Big South schedule with a road trip to Lynchburg, Va. on No. 15 to
face Liberty University.

CSU's
regular-season finale comes "Between the Hedges" in Athens, Ga. as the Bucs face
the Georgia Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium.

The Big
South's regular season champion will earn the league's automatic bid to the
NCAA FCS Playoffs.

The
playoffs begin with eight first-round games on Nov. 29 and culminate with the
crowning of another champion at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas, in the NCAA
FCS National Championship game in January.